Personal Injury Firm
On Tuesday, October 6, Dr. Rick Bright, a leading vaccine scientist at the White House officially conducted his involuntary resignation from the National Institutes of Health after months of being sidelined from important work regarding the coronavirus vaccine. His attorneys report that he has been left without any assignments related to combating coronavirus as of September 6th.
Bright claims that in January, he pushed to call awareness to the severity of the coronavirus, but received pushback from White House officials. A couple of months later, in April, after he addressed the fact that officials were mishandling the outbreak, he was transferred to a different position that had a lesser involvement with combating the virus.
Although Bright is an expert in vaccines and therapeutics, he was not allowed to share his expertise in this area anymore after his transfer. Despite this setback, he put his knowledge to use by designing a plan provide wide testing for asymptomatic people. However, his idea was shot down, and he became worried about upsetting more administrative officials.
In May, he testified against the federal government claiming that officials were negligent in preparing for the outbreak of coronavirus when it was taking a toll in other countries.
Bright also refuted President Trump’s claim that hydroxychloroquine could cure coronavirus. It has since been confirmed that hydroxychloroquine does not cure the virus.
Throughout the duration of these different issues he’s addressed, he’s been further and further scrutinized and punished for speaking up. He was essentially demoted, sidelined, and ignored until the point that he was forced to submit an involuntary resignation.
Bright’s whistleblower case demonstrates the workplace retaliation that people across all career levels are susceptible to. His case is one of workplace hostility that began with his whistleblowing that was met with retaliation, cultivating a hostile workplace.
This can occur at the a high-level federal career, as it can happen to people across all other career levels.
If you are experiencing workplace retaliation and hostility after blowing the whistle on unethic and/or illegal practices, you are protected by federal law from adverse actions taken against you by your employers.
West Coast Employment Lawyers is here to support you throughout the process of filing a claim to the federal employment agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to hold your employer accountable. We offer free consultations and work on a contingency -fee basis, meaning that you won’t pay us a penny until we successfully settle or win your case. Contact us 24/7 by calling (213) 927 – 3700 or by emailing [email protected]